Caribbean news. The Cuffy 250 Committee, an African Guyanese cultural organization dedicated to ethnic and racial equality and the renewal and revitalization of the African Guyanese community through advocacy and
mobilization of self-love, self-reliance and self-activity, has been following the developments surrounding the Colwyn Harding incident. As an organization concerned in part about the condition of the African Guyanese youth, we have an interest in this incident and its implications.
We feel that the unfortunate experience of Mr. Harding is fast becoming a staple in contemporary Guyana; it is not an exception. Cuffy 250 is of the view that when a society reaches the point where torture becomes part of the policy and practice of law enforcement and order and the populace becomes numb to it, such a society is in moral, cultural and political crisis.
For us the Colwyn Harding Affair tells us something about the practice of race, social class, inequality and governance in Guyana. The section of the police force and others in the society who engage in torture are products of the larger society. While we welcome the expressions of condemnation and the appeals to the police and the government to put an end to such practice, we hold the view that it is the citizens, especially those sections which are affected most, who must demand, by word and deed, an end to torture.
We contend that justice for Colwyn Harding would be incomplete if it does not translate into justice for all victims and potential victims of all forms of state violence. We hereby call for a public national conversation on torture and our collective security. It is high time this issue be taken to the people, the sufferers. Those who have an interest in political survival and domination cannot solve this problem.
Towards this end Cuffy 250 Committee in Collaboration with The Colwyn Harding Support Group, invites you to a FORUM The Colwyn Harding Torture Implications for Individual & Collective Security in Guyana on Sunday, February 16th, 2014 from 2:00pm – 5:00pm at St. Stanislaus College, Brickdam and High Streets, Georgetown. Speakers include Dr. Mellissa Ifill, Joy Marcus, Heston Bostwick, Nigel Hughes, Aubrey Retemyer and Freddie Kissoon. For more information call 642-5119 0r 618-4929 for more information.
